"It is significant," said Andy Clough at What Hi-Fi. "Obviously Amazon has made big inroads into the TV and video market with Amazon Prime, its streaming service.

"Having hardware associated with that is a logical step," he told the BBC. "I think it's very much a sign of the times."

The BBC has asked Amazon and Currys PC World for comment.

The move could help Amazon's Prime Video service compete against Apple's iTunes Store and forthcoming TV subscription service. Both are made available via an app recently introduced to recent Samsung televisions.

It also acts as an alternative to Google's Android TV service on Sony TVs, and LG's WebOS - both of which have media stores of their own.

It is also expected to reveal further models made by Germany's Grundig at a press event this evening, ahead of the start of Berlin's Ifa tech expo.

Dixons Carphone - the owner of the UK retail chain - already stocks other Amazon products including its Echo smart home speakers and Kindle ebook readers, as well as products from rival tech manufacturers.